To Prevent Diabetes, Just Reducing Sugar Is Not Enough

Illustration of white sugar (Unsplash/Jess Bailey)

JAKARTA - Referring to various studies, diabetes can be caused by various things that are basically unhealthy lifestyles. Starting from the portion of the meal, what food is consumed, drinks that are often drunk to a person's psychological condition.

Because of the variety of causes of diabetes, the way to prevent diabetes is not only enough if you reduce sugar consumption alone. Type 2 diabetes is a disease that is not contagious, but an unhealthy lifestyle affects it a lot. In fact, unhealthy lifestyles can be 'transmitted' from the surrounding environment.

Here's how to prevent type 2 diabetes, you can change unhealthy habits according to the recommendations below.

Reducing sugar drinks

The amount of sugar consumption is equivalent to the risk of diabetes. The more you consume sugar drinks, the greater the increase in diabetes.

As much as possible, avoid various types of sugar drinks. Even though it has a slogan of less sugar or no sugar, it is not impossible that the drink contains sugar or sugar elements such as sucrose. To be healthier, use natural sweeteners from fresh fruit.

Water is the healthiest drink

The solution to the first point as a preventive step is to consider and realize that water is the healthiest drink. Instead of drinking sweet even though from natural sweeteners, it's better to drink water to keep your body hydrated enough.

Water is also good for controlling the body against fluctuations in blood sugar levels and insulin response.

Don't be lazy to move

Lazy to move can lead to an increased risk of diabetes. If you don't have time to exercise because your activities are on, then take the time to walk a lot. At least, a day requires 12,000 footsteps to burn calories.

Illustration of a walk (Unsplash/Arturo Castaneyra)

You can also spend time with medium to high-level sports, such as aerobics, push-ups, sit-ups, or jogging.

Limiting consumption of foods with a high glycemic index

The faster the food is digested, the higher the glycemic index. Foods that are quickly digested include those made from white flour in the form of bread, pasta, noodles, and biscuits.

Illustration of brown rice (Unsplash/David Gabrielyan)

Apart from white flour, white rice also has a high glycemic index. For a healthy program, measure the correct portion of white rice or replace it with brown rice and shirataki rice.

Balance your body mass index

Obesity or excessive body weight has a risk of diabetes and other diseases such as heart disease, cholesterol, and high blood pressure. From the cases of type 2 diabetes, obesity is mostly triggered.

Illustration of waist circumference (Unsplash/Bill Oxford)

This means reducing body weight in the healthiest way, for example with a carbohydrate diet, regular exercise, and getting enough rest.

Cut down on processed foods

There are advantages to consuming raw foods such as vegetable salad with a dressing of lime juice plus olive oil. Foods that are too much processed, such as frozen food and instant food, tend to be difficult to control the content in them.

Salad illustration (Unsplash/Anna Pelzer)

This means that the more you can control the nutrients in a food, the less likely it is to increase the risk of diabetes, especially type 2 diabetes. It is most recommended to eat fresh foods and recognize the nutrients contained in them.

From the six ways to prevent diabetes above, which one have you lived with? It may not be easy, but we need to realize that a healthy body has a better quality of life.